East Lansing officials have a simple message for students who live with more than the licensed number of people in a house.

“Students who live in overoccupied houses do so for reasons like money or ‘everyone else does it so we won’t get caught,’” East Lansing Housing Code Analyst Harriett Ferrigno said. “Well, you will get caught because you can never completely get away from us.

“We can get warrants issued to go in and investigate your house.”

Ferrigno, the city’s chief housing inspector, can fine landlords up to $500 a day for any house exceeding the licensed limit. In 1999, 15 tickets were issued for overoccupancy.

But the problem has been increasing. Already this year, 20 tickets have been issued for overoccupancy.

“Housing is a supply and demand issue, and housing is in great demand right now,” East Lansing City Manager Ted Staton said.

Staton said the city has seen an increase in the last several years of students looking to relocate from campus to houses and apartments within the city.

But with a limited number of rental houses and apartments, that increase leaves more students squeezing into the same number of units - a situation that can often conflict with city ordinances.

East Lansing landlord Patricia Rendall is among those who found out about the city’s vigilance against overoccupancy the hard way.

Rendall was fined more than $100,000 in October 1997 for renting a house licensed for four to six people. Two tenants were living in spaces deemed nonhabitable, officials said.

East Lansing officials also said Rendall altered documentation required by the city to show only four names on the house’s lease.

She appealed the fines, but lost her case earlier this month. Rendall and her attorney could not be reached for comment.

Often, though, it’s residents and not landlords who bend the rules. Those residents, officials warn, will face increased enforcement of the city’s occupancy codes.

Facing high rent costs, some students say it’s worth the risk to live with more roommates than their lease allows.

“I didn’t want to live in a place where I would have to pay more than $400 per month to live with my friends,” a female student living in an over-occupied house told The State News on a condition of anonymity. “I know we could get fined, but it was worth the risk.

“Besides, I doubt we would ever get caught.”

Another female student who also spoke to The State News on a condition of anonymity echoed those monetary concerns.

“I didn’t have a choice to live overoccupied, I just couldn’t afford to live in a house without doing so,” the student said. “I didn’t want to live in an apartment or dorm and I didn’t want to live in an expensive house.”

But the student did say she feared the consequences if her house is closely inspected.

“I’m so afraid that we will get caught and one of my roommates will be screwed over,” she said.

Students living illegally have more than city inspectors to watch out for. With high fines looming for violators, landlords often watch their properties very closely to prevent overoccupancy. East Lansing landlord Jeff Hudgins said if he has a sense someone is breaking the rules, he will report them.

“In this business, we have zero tolerance for overoccupancy,” Hudgins said. “Our view as property owners is that we have a law and if you can’t live by it, don’t live in our houses.”

Ferrigno said she often receives calls from landlords or neighbors to check houses for too many people living there.

“Residents and landlords usually contact us when they are suspicious of too many people in a particular residence,” she said. “Sometimes residents will count the number of cars at a certain address to see if it matches the amount the house is licensed for.

“That doesn’t always mean they are living overoccupied, though, since we realize friends and guests stay over sometimes, which they are allowed to do.”

Officials inspect every rental house each year to make sure it is in compliance with city ordinances. Ferrigno said inspectors are checking to make sure the house is livable and no one is living in nonhabitable rooms.

The inspectors don’t check the house specifically to look for signs of more people, but if something is suspicious they do notify Ferrigno.

Ferrigno handles such investigations personally. When she receives a complaint, she said she directly questions residents immediately. However, Ferrigno and other city officials must give at least 24 hours notice before a house can be inspected.

Some residents use this time to arrange furniture to hide extra occupants, she said.

“Even in the situation of students switching around rooms, we do use common sense, and we do know that they are doing it,” Ferrigno said.

“You can run, but you can’t hide.”

But some residents seem to lack Ferrigno’s confidence about getting caught.

English junior Stasha West, who lives legally in an East Lansing house, said she wouldn’t have any reservations about living with more people than legally allowed in the house. She doubts she would get caught.

“Some of my friends live overoccupied and they just sneak around the inspectors,” West said. “Even knowing the consequences of living overoccupied, it wouldn’t affect my decision of living overoccupied.”

Amanda Clapp can be reached at clappama@msu.edu.